Rick spent 30 years leading student-athletes as the Head Baseball Coach and Athletic Director. His service to student-athletes, TVCC and the NWAC is quite impressive.

As a coach, won over 600 games, won multiple region titles, and was instrumental in leading the transition from the NJCAA to the NWAC.

Within 3 years of joining the NWAC, Rick led TVCC’s expansion of athletic programs from four to fifteen. He started the Chukar Booster Association that annually raises over $50,000 a year as well as spearheaded major renovation to the baseball complex and new seating in the gymnasium.

In 1990 Kelly Graves took over a dismal BBCC women’s basketball team and in his first year led the Lady Vikings to their first winning season in school history.

In year two, BBCC Lady Vikings won 23 games (first time in BBCC history that the women’s basketball team won 20 games in a season), and they finished 4th at the NWAC championship tournament.

Kelly then went on to the Division 1 level as an assistant coach at the University of Portland, then as head coach at St. Mary’s College - both teams made the NCAA tournament.

Hired in 2000 at Gonzaga University, Kelly took a floundering Gonzaga women’s program and turned it around, winning 10 consecutive WCC titles and advanced to the Sweet 16 three straight seasons (2010-12).

Coach Graves then moved to the University of Oregon where he coached the Ducks to their most successful season in history and to an Elite 8 appearance in 2016-1017.

Vince Hawkins (Football Player, Community Colleges of Spokane)

Hawkins came to the Community Colleges of Spokane from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, LA.

Vince had a remarkable two-year football career for the Sasquatch. He was an All-NWAACC running back in 1988 & 1989, and led the NWAACC in scoring both years with 12 touchdowns and 13 touchdowns respectively.

Vince was named as the team Co-MVP and the NWAACC Offensive Player of the Year in 1988.

He was recruited and signed with the University of Nebraska and was the starting slot back as they won the Big 8 title and played in the Orange Bowl both years.

He served as a high school teacher/coach, and has been an ordained minister for the past 20 years.

Cheryl Holden (Head Coach Women’s Basketball, Columbia Basin College)

As the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at CBC for 13 years, Cheryl holds a 70% winning percentage in overall play and a 69% winning percentage in the East Region.

Under her guidance, the Hawks would run off nine NWAC appearances in a 10-year span.

The owner of five East Region titles, Holden retired as one of two coaches to win four NWAC Championships in a career. Her teams won at least 20 games six times and in five seasons, her teams lost five or less games in a season.

The combined record of her four championship teams is 110-14 (.887). She has been named East Region Coach of the Year five times and NWAC Coach of the Year four times.

Jon Lane (Wrestler, Big Bend Community College)

Jon Lane was an outstanding wrestler for the Big Bend Community College Vikings from 1965-1967.

While at BBCC, Lane was a two-time WAACC wrestling champion. In 1966-1967, Jon was the National Junior College Wrestling Champion at 152 pounds..

Additionally as student-athlete and winning multiple wrestling championships, Lane served as the Associated Student Body President.

After his wrestling career, Jon has been awarded a multitude of honors for his service. Such honors include Carnegie Hero Award, Paul Harris Fellowship. National Wrestling Coaches Lifetime Service Award, National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, AACC 2017 Outstanding Alumni, and has served the Moses Lake community as a city council member of 12 years and as the Mayor.

1999 Community Colleges of Spokane, Men’s Track & Field team

Led by eight athletes that went on to Division I programs, the CCS 1999 Men’s Track & Field team won the NWAC Championship shattering a conference record with 204 team points.

This is one of the largest margins of victory in NWAACC history with Mt. Hood finishing a distant second with 98 points. This powerhouse team included 24 All-Americans and were 25-0 in scoring meets.

There were 14 individual champions with 11 student-athletes transferring on to continue their careers and eight transferring to the Division 1 level. According to Coach Beatty of his 13 teams, he ranks this as the best he has coached at CCS.

2004-2005 Columbia Basin College Women’s Basketball Team

The CBC 2004-2005 Women’s Basketball team claimed the program's first East Region title in nearly a decade.

With an overall record of 22-5, 11-3 in region play, the fifth-ranked Hawks marched through the NWAC Championship Tournament beating three South Region teams ranked #4, #2, and #1.

Kaci Bersen was named tournament MVP and teammates Sara Dalgliesh and Jessica Miller were named to the All-Tournament Team.

This team marked the turning point in the program’s recent history as the CBC women have claimed five East Region Championships, Four NWAC Championships and qualified for the post season in 11 of 12 years since.

2005 Wenatchee Valley College Men’s Soccer Team.

Bouncing back from a devastating season a year earlier, the 2005 WVC Men’s Soccer Team dominated the season from day one to win the 2005 NWAACC Men’s Soccer Championship.

Led by All-NWAACC players, Ceveriano “Junior” Garcia and Juan Viveros, the Knights finished the season by defeating defending champion Highline College in a torrential down pour 2-1 in a shootout at the quarterfinals.

The Knights then defeated Spokane 3-1 in the semifinals followed by a 2-0 win over Walla Walla in the championship game.

Garcia, who was the leading scoring for the NWAC with 30 goals, scored both goals in the championship game. Viveros who won the East Region MVP as a defenseman led a defense that only allowed 21 goals in 23 matches.